Happy Thursday! Are you ready for the Donald J. Trump-produced Semiquincentennial?

• On Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris called Donald Trump to formally concede the presidential race to him. “President Trump acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country,” said Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung in a statement. Trump also spoke with President Joe Biden on the phone Wednesday, and Cheung said in a separate statement that the sitting president “extended an invitation to the White House to ensure a smooth transition between the current Administration and the incoming Administration.”
• Republicans will have control of the Senate, but the majority won’t be as big as the GOP had hoped. While the party picked up Democratic seats in West Virginia, Ohio, and Montana, at least two Democrats have narrowly won in states that Trump took. Sen. Tammy Baldwin defeated her Republican challenger, Eric Hovde, in Wisconsin, while Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin squeaked by former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers next door in Michigan for that state’s open seat. 
• The three remaining battleground Senate races remain too close to call. In Pennsylvania, Republican Dave McCormick narrowly leads Democratic Sen. Bob Casey; in Arizona, Rep. Ruben Gallego has a small lead over Republican Kari Lake but with about 30 percent of ballots still left to be counted; and in Nevada, where mail-in votes are still being counted, Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen is fighting to stay alive against Republican challenger Sam Brown.
• The race for control of the House of Representatives remains undetermined, though Republicans appear to be in good shape to retain and possibly grow their majority. Many of the close, majority-making races yet to be called are in California, where final vote tallies won’t be made for days or weeks thanks to the state allowing mail-in ballots to be received up to seven days after Election Day.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris gathered outside Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall at Howard University Wednesday afternoon, the same place many had assembled the night before in the hopes of seeing her take the stage as the first woman to be elected president.

Instead, they returned to hear her concession speech after her loss to former President Donald Trump. Unlike the previous night, when a festive atmosphere dominated before unfavorable election results crashed the party, this crowd was somber from the moment it filed in.

“’I’m feeling horrible,” 58-year-old Mark Wesley told Dispatch Politics. “I’m feeling deeply depressed. I’m feeling shocked and amazed, all of that, very confused … just the layers and layers of everything that [Trump] has done and said. … It’s confusing to me that people just kind of look past all of that.”

Still, the crowd cheered when Harris walked out to the podium to “Freedom” by Beyoncé, the campaign’s anthem. In her speech, Harris urged young people listening not to give up on the principles in which they believe.

“It is okay to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it’s going to be okay. On the campaign, I would often say, ‘When we fight, we win.’ But here’s the thing, here’s the thing, sometimes this fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. That doesn’t mean we won’t win,” she said to the crowd’s cheers. “The important thing is, don’t ever give up.”

The disappointment Harris’ supporters felt surfaced as they booed when she said she “spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory.” But they were all back on board when she appeared to give a backhanded condemnation of the former president’s actions in the wake of his loss four years ago.

“I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power,” she said, prompting loud applause. “A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it.”

As of this writing, Trump has 295 electoral votes, and is likely to win the popular vote. The only two states that have not been called are the battlegrounds of Nevada and Arizona, both of which Trump leads. He could be well on his way to a sweep of the swing states and a 312-226 victory  over Harris in the Electoral College.

While the campaign sprint that began in late July—when President Joe Biden withdrew as the Democratic nominee and Harris stepped in—ended in defeat, the vice president vowed not to stop trying to bring about her vision for the country.

“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people, a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best,” she said “That is a fight I will never give up.”

Some in the crowd wiped tears from their eyes as they left. Many of them declined to speak to reporters, but a few who did attributed the race’s outcome to bigotry.

“I guess America wasn’t ready for a woman in 2016. They weren’t ready for a woman in 2024,” Wesley told Dispatch Politics.

“I think that we underestimated the level of sexism and racism that exists in society,” said Caroline Motley, 27, who worked on the Harris campaign. “It really says something that such a qualified and brilliant woman who’s fought for the people her entire life still lost against a convicted rapist. That tells you everything you need to know about how America feels for women, and especially women in leadership.”

Larry Scott, 47, was a bit more hopeful.

“Wish it would have went another way,” he said. “However, just like she said, we have to keep fighting, keep standing up, keep going to the polls, keep voting, keep trying to make a difference every day in the way that we live our lives.”

“He shouldn’t have run. This is no time to pull punches or be concerned about anyone’s feelings. He and his staff have done an enormous amount of damage to this country.”

—Jim Manley, a top aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, on President Joe Biden to Politico, November 6, 2024